Do We Still Dream?

I remember a time when I'd spend a good amount of time letting my thoughts flow freely, unimpeded by the pressures of the day. Our youth provides a wonderful outlet for creativity, because as we're growing, our exploration of the world around us seems to bring fascinating things to our eye every day.

The days I spend in the present also have a fair amount of creative thought, but what is it really? Letting our minds wander? Daydreaming about "silly things"? Wasting time? Giving ourselves a mental break?

Just the act of letting thoughts carry us is a whimsical, tangible experience. I would simply call it dreaming.

Our dreams are powerful things. Someone can claim that we cannot live without many things...food, water, shelter, love, hope, confidence, a paycheck, a romance, family, an iPhone, or Starbucks.

In my life so far, I've compiled a list of things I lived for: the playground, toys (it's all about Transformers, boyee!), Christmas, video games, friends, school activities, schoolwork, respect, dancing, my wife, God, and, of course, "Chuck" on NBC.

That's probably the tip of the iceberg. Or rather, the icicle on the tip of Antarctica.

What do I dream about today? Accomplishment. I believe God had a purpose picked out for me in my life, but also gave me things to accomplish in each and every chapter of my life. It is not always easy to identify them, because so much sounds so good, I get pulled in multiple directions.

Is dreaming a bad thing? I don't believe so. I think it's a very healthy thing for us all.

It often comes at random times, usually when our mind is clear about other things. Maybe it's sitting in the classroom. Maybe it's while you're in the bathroom (a humorous setting that nonetheless has borne some of my greatest ideas...just think "Back to the Future", where Doc Brown dreamt up the Flux Capacitor after slipping and hitting his head). Perhaps it's riding or driving in a car. Think about the times and places where your thoughts become much more meaningful.

In the maze we navigate every day, sometimes we forget what we truly want, what our deepest desires are. They usually come out at strange times anyways, and often surprise us. What if we lived in clear focus of our dreams and desires, doing the very things we were meant for, and letting the rest become small stuff that we don't sweat anymore?

Easier said than done, you may say, but the best things in life often come after making the effort, going the extra mile, after some degree of hardship or even suffering. Accomplishment comes not only from overcoming an obstacle, but knowing that your achievement is exactly what you were meant to do.

I am in the process of knowing what my true dreams are, because each day brings challenges that I often devote too much time and worry to. Dreaming, I've found, is not merely reserved for the carefree times of our childhood.

It's such a blessing to be able to spend your days finding, reaching, and discovering new dreams. We might find a better one in the midst of chasing another; while buying a lotto ticket to get a huge windfall, you might end up thwarting a drug store robbery and become a local hero. You know, crazy stuff like that.

But I implore you all to never stop chasing, never stop achieving, never stop dreaming. Ask what dreams will bring you the most benefit to yourself and to others. Never think that your current circumstances are bigger than those dreams. That mindset could bring us to our last days with much fewer regrets. As hard as it is to keep an open heart and mind to these passions of ours, perhaps dreaming is our best gateway to knowing how to really live.

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